


She Hates Me

by homoceratops



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Carmilla - J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Angst, F/F, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-19
Updated: 2014-11-19
Packaged: 2018-02-26 07:34:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2643497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/homoceratops/pseuds/homoceratops
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Burgeoning rock star Danny Lawrence is so close to sealing the deal with her muse that she can taste it, but maybe her muse doesn't feel quite the same way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	She Hates Me

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the lyrics of the song "She Hates Me" by Puddle of Mudd.

"Okay, guys, on three," she said, the smirk audible in her voice, and as she counted down, her pick struck the metal strings of the guitar with a screech. As the others in the auditorium flinched, the tall redhead groaned, a loud "Fuck!" falling out her mouth. They’d been practicing for most of the afternoon, and glancing out the small windows that lined the ceiling, Danny could see the sun was already setting. Sighing, she bent down to unplug her instrument its amplifier, eyes meeting the drummer’s. "Let’s call it a wrap, okay? I’m tired." A few mumbles of relief followed from the girls’ mouths, and while they chattered as they tidied the equipment, the Amazon was oddly quiet.  

"You okay, Red?" She turned and the bassist stared her down. "You’re all weird, and not like, talking." Quirking a brow, she paused a moment before answering. "I’m fine, " Danny lied, though she could tell the other wasn’t having it. "Thinking about her again, yeah?" A blush crossed the guitarist’s face and she shook her head, obviously trying to avoid the question. "You’re crazy," she muttered as she locked her most prized possession into its case and lifted it onto her back, "and I gotta go. Talk later?" Without even waiting for her friend’s response, Danny strode off, eyes darting down to her wristwatch.  _Twenty minutes to seven,_  she thought, her face brightening,  _she should be out of class by now._

"Say hi to Laura for me!" came a loud voice from behind, and the ginger managed an amused "Fuck off!" towards her bandmates before slamming the heavy auditorium doors.

Finding herself on the west edge of Silas’ campus in the freshmen dormitory, Danny sat with her back against the wall, legs outstretched and a ratty notebook on her lap. Scrawled in ink of varying colors, the girl’s project of the moment lay messy and unfinished before her; words in swirling cursive and interrupted by all sorts of corrections and additions. At the top of the page was the work’s title: ‘Laura’s Song,’ and even just reading her own writing made Danny’s stomach flip. Staring at the page with a lopsided grin, she almost didn’t notice the sound of tiny footsteps coming down the hall.

"Oh, hey, Danny," came a bright, confused voice, and the redhead’s eyes rose up to meet blue ones. "Laura!" she replied, then again, trying to keep her composure as she slammed the cover of her journal closed, "Laura, hi, hey, what’s up?" Smooth Lawrence. Stuffing the notebook into her messenger bag, she stood towering over the other, a half-smile plastered on her face, praying the other hadn’t seen the lyrics.  

Reaching for her key and unlocking the door, Laura looked down and then back up again, a mildly uneasy look on her face. “What are you doing here, Danny?” she asked, the tone in her voice not entirely friendly, and she removed the key from the knob, turning to face her friend. “Do you need something?”

"I, uh," Danny murmured, too busy thinking about how beautiful Laura looked, even in the old sweater she’d worn today. Oddly, she noticed it was very similar to another she’d seen Carmilla in a few days before, a strange coincidence, she had to admit. "I just wanted to talk to you real quick, and I was in the neighborhood, so…"

A quizzical look found Laura’s face. “In the neighborhood? Danny, you live on campus, the whole place is kind of the same neighborhood.” She pursed her lips, as though searching for her words. “What did you want to talk about?”

Blushing a little, she put her hand on her hip as she spoke, absentmindedly toying with a loose thread as she spoke, trying to keep her composure. “So, you know my band? The Summer Society?” Laura nodded. “Yeah, well, we’re playing at Homecoming, y’see, and I,” she finally took a breath, and tried to slow down her words before she ended up yelling in Laura’s face. “And like, it would be wicked cool if you could come and see us, so I figured maybe I should make sure you’d be there, y’know, like….” Danny’s eyes flitted down to her worn sneakers then up again to the small face in front of her. Her voice smaller and squeakier, she finally managed to finish her sentence. “As my date?”  

The silence between them was deafening, and as much as she told herself Laura was simply searching for the right words - yes would’ve sufficed - Danny’s stomach dropped as the annoyed grimace on Laura’s face morphed into a miserable frown, her brows furrowing in exasperation.

"Okay, Danny, seriously, this has to stop."  

"What?"  _This isn’t happening._

"You need to leave me alone, okay?" The shaky, frustrated anger in Laura’s voice made tall, proud Danny wish she could shrink into the floorboards. "Stop following me home from class, stop inviting me to get dinner or coffee or ice cream, I don’t want to see your band," Laura huffed, her fists clenching, and the ginger feared her ever-reddening tiny face might explode. "No, the answer is no!" Hot tears appeared in Laura’s face, the heat she’d been holding in as politely as she could finally seeping forth.  

With a squeak, the wooden door of Laura’s dorm room opened, and a shaggy mass of black curls peeked out of it, mild amusement on Carmilla’s face. “You okay?” she asked with a lilt in her voice. Seeing the tears, though, she reached up a pale hand, wiping them from the corners of Laura’s eyes with her thumb, an accusatory glance shot in Danny’s direction. If looks could kill, the dumbstruck redhead thought, the only cohesive string of words in her brain.

"Come inside," Carmilla said softer, pulling Laura in by the waist, planting a small kiss on her blonde temple while her eyes looked directly into Danny’s as though she were offering a warning. "Not you," she continued, though the clarification was unneeded, and as the raven-haired girl slunk back into the room, Danny dashed down the hall towards the stairs, praying she could keep herself from breaking down until she reached the safety of her apartment.

The following Friday, The Summer Society stood on stage, Danny dressed in a sleek suit, with herbandmates behind her. They’d already played their first set, and the homecoming royalty had been crowned, followed by Perry and LaFontaine’s first dance as King and Queen. She got a few drinks into her system while LaFontaine gave a long-winded speech about the importance of clinging to science in the face of adversity, and Danny felt like herself again, though the butterflies in her stomach refused to quiet down.

Returning to her spot on center stage, she strapped her guitar back to her body, stepping up to the mic to get the crowd’s attention. “Hey, everybody, thanks for coming out tonight,” she started, the typical speech she’d give at a show, “we’re The Summer Society and I’m Danny Lawrence. It’s real great to see everyone at this year’s Homecoming Dance.” The requisite clapping followed, and she powered on, hoping not to lose her nerve.

"This next song is an original of mine, actually," and she paused again, more clapping. "I wrote it about someone very special to me." Behind her, the other band members glanced at each other, satisfied smiles exchanged among the three. Looking out into the audience, the tall redhead scanned the faces, praying she might find the subject of her affections. "I’m not really a fan of love songs," she continued, her eyes finally finding who she sought, "but sometimes music is the only way to let someone know how you really feel." She gave a half-smile, hoping Laura would meet her gaze. "Here goes."

Strumming the opening riff of the song, Danny kept her eyes poised on Laura, who stood beside her awful roommate. Are they ever even apart? she wondered to herself. The question went without answer, though, and instead, she felt what was left of her heart crumble even further into pieces. Turning to face Carmilla, the blonde poised herself up on tip-toe to offer a bubbly, intoxicated kiss. Lingering for a moment, Carmilla broke it, her eyes towards the stage, locking with Danny’s as though daring her to continue.

 _I can’t do it,_  the ginger realized, and with a sharp squeal, she ceased plucking the strings, the feedback from the speakers reverberating throughout the room. Taking off her guitar and placing it on the ground beside her microphone, Danny bit her lip, trying to choke back her emotions even as she felt the sting of tears burn her eyes, blurring her vision.

"Thank you," she said quietly to the crowd, and without out a word of explanation, she left the stage and raced out of the building. Tears streaming down her hot, red cheeks as she dashed across campus toward the isolation of her room, Danny promised herself that never again would she love someone enough to write them a song.


End file.
